Current and emerging pharmacotherapies for obesity in Australia

Many personal training sydney CBD clients find it difficult to maintain weight loss with lifestyle modification alone. In these cases, adding a medication may prove to be effective. Historically, not too many pharmacotherapies have survived the ire of the therapeutic goods administration. In addition, previous treatments such as phentermine-fenfluramine, rimonabant and sibutramine were withdrawn due to safety issues, resulting in lingering safety concerns.

There are however, four new therapeutic options in the wings, three of which may be approved in Australia shortly and one — liraglutide 3.0 mg — was approved in December 2015. Liraglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist that appears to act by increasing satiety and reducing food intake. Lorcaserin is a selective agonist of the serotonin2C receptor, which mediates anorecticactivity. The naltrexone/bupropion extended release (ER) combination utilises synergistic effects of the two component drugs, mediated via neurons in the hypothalamus, to reduce energy intake. Phentermine/topiramate ER combines the appetite suppressant phenterminewith topiramate, an anti-epileptic with appetite-suppressant effects. All can result in meaningful improvements in obesity-related diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. 

The landscape of obesity treatment in Australia is changing rapidly. Whilst encouraging, it should be noted that all options have associated adverse side-effects so consult your medical doctor for more information.